The Research Process: Taking Notes OWH Library at Phillips Academy Andover

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Take Notes

Take notes efficiently, effectively, and ethically

Steps in the Research Process

Get Organized!
Gather information
Use the Information
Take time to Reflect

Keep these goals in mind:

Make sure that you are efficient.: Assign a unique identifier to each source that you use. Write down the complete bibliographic information for each source. When you take notes, you will simply need to note the identifier to trace the note back to it's source.
Make sure that you are judicious in what you record.: Analyze the information before blindly recording it. Does it answer one of your questions? Where does the information fit in the scheme that you created in step one? Remember that quantity does not always equal quality.
Make sure that you record information accurately so that you can avoid plagiarism.: You will need to record complete source information for every direct quotation. Even if you are "paraphrasing" in your note taking, it is essential that you record source information.

Tools that can help you:

Mind-Mapping can help you focus on information and how it relates to other information.
Inspiration software can help you to develop a concept map or a web.
Graphic organizers can also help you to organize concepts.

Formats for Notetaking:

Full Page.: One page is used for each research question. The question is recorded on the page, and then notes from various sources are added to the page. The appropriate source identifier is used for each note. This is the least flexible approach, and should be used only when the structure of the paper has been determined.
Note cards.: One card is used for each note. A subject or question may be assigned to each card. The appropriate source identifier is included on the card. Note cards permit flexible rearrangement of ideas and facilitate the identification of patterns and relationships.
Electronic Database.: A relational database, such as FileMakerPro or Microsoft Access, may be effectively used for the recording of notes. This is the most flexible approach, but is more cumbersome than paper. It is a good choice for complex topics with many sources and very many individual notes. See an OWHL Librarian for help in creating a database for notetaking.